In Snowflake's parameter hierarchy, virtual warehouse parameters take precedence over user parameters. This hierarchy is designed to ensure that settings at the virtual warehouse level, which typically reflect the requirements of a specific workload or set of queries, override the preferences set at the individual user level.
This helps maintain consistent performance and resource utilization as specified by the administrators managing the virtual warehouses.References: Snowflake documentation on parameter hierarchy, found in the SnowPro Advanced: Architect learning materials.